“She is half Alfred’s size, but she never lets that hold her back. People always assume that she is Alfred’s little sister. But whilst they don’t look like twins, they have the most amazing bond between them.

“Alfred is really protective over her, and looks out for her. He reaches things for her that she can’t get to.”

Alfred is twice as tall as Millicent, who was born with a rare form of dwarfism

Alfred may be the elder twin by 26 minutes, but their family say Millicent is the boss

PA Laura and ops manager hubby Steve, 51, were overjoyed to be expecting twins in 2013 after several rounds of IVF.

But at the 20-week scan, docs found one had shorter limbs. Tests revealed achondroplasia, a mutation occurring in one in 25,000 births.

Laura said: “We were devastated when we were told the diagnosis. I was really worried about what life would be like for my daughter.”

The twins have an amazing bond, with family saying Alfred is really protective of his sister, and reaches for things she can't

The twins were born in December 2013, seven weeks early, Alfred weighing 3lbs 3oz and Millicent weighing 3lbs 1oz.

Alfred, the older by 26 minutes, required surgery to remove half his bowel and colon. Millicent later nearly died of a chest infection.

The twins were born seven weeks early and both had to be hospitalised with Alfred needing half his bowel and colon removed while Millicent had a near-fatal chest infection

She was put on a heart machine — thought to be the first time it had been used on a child with dwarfism.

Luckily, both twins battled through and were finally allowed home from hospital in January 2014.

Parents Laura and Steve couldn't beleive what a fighter their daughter was

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